


Keeping A Comfortable Distance (But You Are My Exception)

by BroodyJC



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Teachers AU, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-26 17:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17145971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroodyJC/pseuds/BroodyJC
Summary: After Holiday break, there were three things every student from National City High could agree on.First: their teams were heading once again to excel in the State Championship, courtesy of the one and only Alex Danvers.Second: the no student shall step into the cafeteria after the weekend rule was still on and maybe they should avoid chicken on Wednesdays. Just for precaution.Third: passing on Miss Luthor’s class was probably the hardest thing they would have to do through the entire year, but they would manage. And she was stern, and no smiles, and rigorous, a tough exterior to hide the interior softness.Unless, of course, Kara Danvers was around.OrThe teachers AU no one asked me to write but I did anyways because every fandom needs more teachers AUs





	Keeping A Comfortable Distance (But You Are My Exception)

**Author's Note:**

> At the beggining of the year, I promised myself I wouldn't write a fic for Christmas. Twelve months later, two weeks of pure madness, a sixty page document, and here we are.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it
> 
> And, of course, happy holidays, guys

There were exactly three things every student on National City High agreed on.

First, something that over the past years became pretty much common sense: it didn’t matter which sport, their school would be in State Championship, and talking football, always National. That hadn’t always been a rule, of course, they were always kind of regular, just another High School team, just _there_. But then, Alex Danvers had appeared. And they were still just kind of _there_ , but way more.

The proof that Alex Danvers was the turning point on their performance came in the form of an accident that left Alex on a leave for seven months. None of their teams got further than quarters.

Second: on Mondays, you stray away from the cafeteria. No one knew, per say, what exactly was wrong with the food on Mondays, they couldn’t actually confirm something was really wrong with it. But there had been accidents. Numerous. So, it became an unspoken rule, _no student shall step into the cafeteria the day after the weekend_ type of thing.

Last, but not least, Miss Luthor was strict, severe, rigorous, whichever you preferred. They were all the same at the end of the day. Killer heels, intense eyes, air of superiority. She was the type of woman who could make you feel inadequate with a tick of her tongue. The act ended the moment she stepped a foot in class, it didn’t make her any less scary, just much more approachable. Maybe the duality was what made sixty percent of the student body attracted to her, while seventy five percent were terrified of her.

They weren’t mutually exclusive.

Point being, there were many things over summer vacation that changed as the years passed.

Heels clicking against the empty hallway, cup of coffee in hands, and twenty-two minutes to spare, Lena Luthor’s school year started just the same.

**

Alex grunted as she let her head fall back into the table, forehead hitting not so lightly against the wood, a low wince leaving her parted lips.

“Come on, Alex. You have class in ten minutes.”

“Too early.”

Kara laughed, nudged her sister side until her hand was batted away, dirty look being sent to her.

“You’re just excited because you’re not the one having to deal with thirty fourteen years old at eight thirty in the morning, okay.”

“I have over thirty students.”

“But you don’t have to make them run at eight thirty and they aren’t scared enough of me yet, get my point, Kara.”

She nudged her sister a little harder, this time effectively getting Alex to look at her. Without another word, she grabbed her own mug and started moving. Alex easily fell into step beside her.

After teaching on Midvale for over three years, Kara thought it was time for a change. Maybe missing her sister had a large part on wanting to move, choosing National City wasn’t a coincidence. She had missed Alex, and just wanted to be close to her again. The opening spot on the English department was, definitely, a coincidence, as none of the teachers were even close to retiring.

All it took was a call and there was a seat to be taken two weeks before class started. Alex just happened to have a recommendation.

Walking on a hallway buzzing with energy as classes were just about to start proved everything had worked out in the end. She took another glance at her watch, she still had seven minutes to finish the path until her own classroom, and it happened when she looked up.

The aloof stance, if not betrayed by the barely there smile on red lips, was close to perfection. She was leaning against the wall, door opened as she nodded to the few students who were brave enough to look at her, arms crossed in front of her chest, hair up in a tight ponytail. White button-down neatly tucked into gray pants, black heels, and it was just too much for Kara to take in.

Somehow, it wasn’t enough, either. Her eyes went on, to the sharp curve of her jawline, the defined dip at the base of her neck, how her necklace rested gently against her collarbones to be covered after the second button of her shirt, how the muscles on her forearm jumped on her skin just with the slight movement of her fingers tapping against the silver watch on her wrist.

Kara was left speechless.

It took her a moment to realize she had stopped walking. The moment meaning, a couple of students had to bump into her so she understood she was standing still in the middle of a busy hall, staring at a woman she didn’t know. It also took her a lot of willpower she didn’t know she possessed to look at her sister.

Her sister, who had a very dangerous, knowing smile on her face, as Kara forced her feet to start working again.

“Winn owns me twenty bucks, so thank you.”

“Shut up.”

**

“Not you too.” Winn didn't waste a second to say it after she not so graciously let his body fall against a chair.

Kara’s hands stilled, sandwich disassembling mid bite. She spared him one look and it was all it took for her to see nothing but exasperation on his face. As if she had already betrayed him, a man she met twice before, and in less than, maybe, twenty words.

But he sat down opposite to her on the teachers’ lounge, his own lunch forgotten in order to assume a very serious pose, his elbows resting against the top of the table, lips pursed together.

A confused “uh” with her teeth still sunken on the soft bread was all she managed before Alex slid on the seat next to hers, a soothing hand on her back and mischief in her eyes.

“Don’t listen to him, he’s just grumpy because I was right. As usual.”

The sound of the door opening (the really needed to fix that) stopped whatever comment Winn was about to make. There was no use on trying to get Kara’s attention again, because Lena had just walked in.

Eyes set straight, she went directly to the refrigerator, retrieved her own food and started to leave. Kara wasn’t so absorbed in the moment to notice Alex turning around on her seat, smirk firmly on her lips as it seemed to have found yet another thing to tease her sister about.

Definitely, Kara wasn’t so absorbed to not notice how everyone seemed to be holding their breath. Kara was too, she just didn’t know if it were for the same reasons. Lena was, to put it lightly, stunning. A Goddess among men. And Kara was very, very gay.

“Nice to see you again, Luthor.”

It was Alex’s voice, Alex was talking to Lena and her sandwich was still half in her mouth and she was just frozen still. Kara saw how her fingers gripped a little tighter, how her jaw tensed a tiny bit as she looked at the source of the voice.

The smile was forced, and it didn’t take a genius to realize Lena Luthor was not a people’s person.

“Miss Danvers, it’s good to have you back.”

_Her voice, her voice, oh shoot, her voice._

“It’s good to be back. Summer break was alright?”

“It was uneventful.” She looked towards Winn. “Mister Schott. If you’ll excuse me, I have class soon and still have lunch to go through.”

And she left before any of them responded, not a spare glance at Kara, wide eyes and dropped sandwich on her lap. She couldn’t even remember her grip being loose enough for it to happen.

“There it is. How the crush begins to fade.”

Alex just shook her head, low laugh echoing from her throat. Kara was still staring down at the wasted half of her lunch and the sauce dripping on her pants. She would have to deal with it later, but right now her brain was still too focused on green eyes and a dark purple lipstick.

Her sister helped her out, taking the food off of her and handing her a couple of napkins.

“That’s where you are wrong, my dear Winn. Kara here never gets a clue, so, trust me, it’s happening.”

“What?” Kara chocked out, ignoring the whispered ‘she speaks’ under Winn’s breath.

“Take a look around, I’d say”

“Eighty.”

“-seems right, about eighty percent of the people here was or is attracted to Lena Luthor.”

“Alex included.”

“Shut up, Winn. It was for a week.”

“A month.” A glare. “And a half.” Alex threw a piece of carrot at him.

“Thing is, Lena is not really approachable. Hell, we’ve known each other for three years and she still calls me Danvers, on good days, while she just nods me on the others. She likes to keep her distance, so the attraction usually passes with time.”

“What?”

“Eat your food.” A beat. “Then, wash your pants.”

Kara ignored the muttered ‘useless bisexual’ comment. She couldn’t really argue on that one.

**

“I met the cute new teacher today.”

“ _Hello to you too, Lena. No, I’m not busy, I can talk. Yes, my day has been great so far, but I really want to kill your brother, how was yours?”_

“Samantha.”

“ _No nickname, must be serious. Did you talk to her?”_

“Of course not.”

“ _Lena.”_

“She had sauce dripping down her arm, Sam, and I still found her attractive.”

“ _And your awkward ass?”_

“I didn’t even look at her.”

“ _Lesbian flirting 101.”_

**

Lena sighed as she watched her students leaving hurriedly through the door. She couldn’t blame them, not really, the combination of being locked inside for hours through five days, barely after enjoying the taste of liberty for so long, and hers being the last class of a very long week for freshmen. There was no one to blame, really.

Still, she took her time putting her planner back inside her briefcase before turning around to neatly erase the board. Yes, she was dying to go back to her apartment, nurse a glass of wine from the bottle she’s been saving for the past month, curl around the stray kitty she had just took in and watch bad reality shows until she went to bed.

With phone in hand and car keys dangling precariously from her fingers, she rounded the corner, eyes never once leaving the screen. Maybe that was her mistake, so maybe being knocked down was her own fault. Partially.

There were books on her lap, her phone was scattered away ( _please, don’t be broken_ ), and a pair of wide blue eyes looking at her.

The new English teacher, it was how Lena had mentally classified her. There were no formal introductions, their meeting had occurred on a week Lena wasn’t in town, and so, all the important things were e-mailed to her. The name of the new English teacher, for example. Lena had only had a name, but after working here for years, she knew her coworkers, and she didn’t know her. It was simple math, after all.

Kara Danvers. It was nice putting a face to a name.

But a minute passed, and Lena started collecting what had fell. The blonde didn’t seem to be anywhere near being able to move, still too shocked by the turn of events, and, so, Lena led what needed to be done. It wasn’t exactly anything new.

“I am _so_ sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was going, and... Did I hurt you? Of course, I did, I knocked you down, I am really, really sorry though.”

Lena offered her the four books she had dropped, raising an eyebrow when the blonde made no move to retrieve them, apart from the casual fingers going up to push at her glasses. And Kara just stared, and stared, lower lip trembling the slightest. She reminded Lena so much of Sam, she just had to smile, even if it turned out as a small upturn at the corners of her lips.

“Right! Of course!” Books were no longer in her hands, eyes following the definition of a flexing forearm under the weight of them. The hand pulling her up was soft yet strong, and it didn’t drop hers when she was finally on her feet again, her own fingers grasping at the collar of a light pink button up. “Sorry, again.”

“Accidents happen. And I wasn’t looking where I was going, either.”

She looked up, blue eyes shining down at her, and she had to take a step back, untangle herself from whatever that may have looked like, to gather some space between them. Lena thrived on personal space.

Over the years, not many people were able to get this close to her. Sam and Ruby, of course, Lex, most of the times, Lionel, every once in a while. Maybe a girlfriend or two in the past. Not a stranger. The reminder made her look at their still joined hands, as Kara did the same. Suddenly, she was free again.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She looked over Kara’s shoulder, her phone lying face down a few feet away from them, her keys joining them on the process of the fall, something she had just noticed. “But I should get going.”

“Of course, I’m really sorry. Thank you, for picking up the books and, you know, not being mad and all. I’m Kara, by the way. Kara Danvers, the new English teacher.”

And the hand she was just holding was thrust in front of her, a beaming smile accompanying the introduction.

“Lena Luthor, head of the Science Department.” She tucked her hand s back inside the front pockets of her suit pants, gave her a tight smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Danvers.”

“Oh, no, it’s just Kara.”

She was already on the move to gather her things, hands wrapped tightly around the strap digging at her collarbones when she looked over her shoulder, and for one second, teasing felt right, just a second and Lena was doing something she had never done with anyone apart from Sam and Lex.

“Okay, just Kara. Call me Lena.”

And it was a really stupid comeback, a childish thing Ruby had done way too many times in the past, and it was a joke she shared with her goddaughter. A joke that tumbled out of her mouth without consent.

But Kara only smiled, the wave of amusement hard enough for Lena to be able to feel even standing away, and she left.

(Lena spent the ride back preventing herself from groaning in embarrassment. Sam was going to have a blast.)

**

Every Thursday, Lena got into and out of work with Sam. It was something they did ever since they met, over a decade ago. Sam would drive to Lena’s apartment, they would share a nice breakfast in a mild-busy café, and then Sam would drop her off at work.

As the CFO of LuthorCorp’s headquarters in National City, Sam usually didn’t have much time off, which made both of them cherish those moments of peace and quiet they would get during the week. And so, Thursdays were for breakfast, as Sundays were meant for a nice morning out, just the three of them, before going back to Sam’s house for lunch and an evening of domesticity until she eventually left.

Ruby turning fourteen and entering High School didn’t change much on their routine. It became slightly more erratic for Sam, the drive and morning traffic didn’t help, but they managed.

Except, this morning, they were late. Late, of course, by Lena’s standards. Today, she wouldn’t be able to have twenty minutes for herself before she had to deal with less than enthusiastic teenagers. And, as Sam rounded the school to stop at the parking lot, she could see at least a dozen of other cars already there.

“Sorry, again.”

“It’s okay, it happens.”

“Bye, mom!” And, like that, Ruby was off and they were alone with the sound of Sam’s raspy chuckle.

Lena couldn’t help it, not really, she loved her goddaughter more than anything else in the world, so she had a smile she was never once seen sporting as she kissed Sam’s cheek and grabbed her briefcase.

“Please don’t forget Ruby’s soccer tryouts in two weeks. I’ll need you here to deal with the PTA moms.”

“You are a PTA mom.” Lena grabbed Sam’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “I’ll be there. Don’t worry, drinks on me after. Now, go, before my brother decides to fire you.”

“Lex would never.”

Strap firmly against her shoulder, she stepped out of the car, fingers familiar with straightening creases that weren’t there to begin with. With the light breeze of mid-September ghosting against her neck, Lena turned around with a final wave and a bite to her lip to keep her from smiling as widely as she was.

Her name being shouted was what made her stop. Looking over her shoulder, she had to force herself not to giggle in the middle of school grounds. Sam had bent over the handbrake, the hand on the passenger seat supporting her upper body so she could smile at Lena through the open window.

In moments like that, it was easy to remember she’s known her best friend for half of her life. In moments like that, Lena was very grateful there was someone out there who was still looking out for her.

“Will you call me later?” And the very stupid question, in Lena’s opinion, was punctuated with a small pout, the same one Ruby had perfected over the years, the same one Lena was never able to say no. “Please?”

“Of course I will.”

“Great, love you.” And Lena stood there, chuckling under her breath and shaking her head, as she stared at the retrieving form of the car.

A minute passed before realization struck. Realization being she was still standing in the middle of the parking lot, while she only had fifteen minutes before having to get into her classroom and had, at least, three stops to make before getting there.

That got her feet back into movement.

Standing ten feet away from her was no other than Alex Danvers, black helmet hanging from her elbow, auburn hair mussed from the ride and pure shock on her expression.

“Danvers.” She shot over her shoulder when she finally passed the woman.

“Luthor.”

Lena smiled. It was a good day.

**

“I think Lena Luthor has a girlfriend.”

Alex stated as a matter of fact on a Sunday evening, feet popped up Kara’s glass table, open beer in hand, eyes moving through the options left on Netflix.

It had been a long time since they last did this. Maybe during an over stressful week at college, if she remembered correctly. But then Alex graduated, stayed at the small loft she shared with her girlfriend of the time, and Kara had gone back to their hometown shortly after.

Sister’s night was a tradition Alex hadn’t known she had missed, not until Kara was no longer a phone call away. When her sister came back, it was all she wanted to do and didn’t know how to ask.

Kara just knew her that well.

And they fell back into old habits, on fighting over which series they would watch on a lazy Sunday, on fighting over the last slice of pizza, on fighting over the last potsticker. With Kara around, if there was food involved, there was a fight. Alex didn’t mind. She had missed this too much to complain about it.

But, now, her sister was just staring at her and she knew that face. Kara was a master on that.

“It’s just a guess, don’t get all sad on me. But I saw her coming in with this woman a couple of days back, and she wasn’t on her car which means, you know, and Luthor was smiling.”

“She has a nice smile.”

“I can’t with you right now, it was creepy.” Alex took the last sip from her beer. “But all I’m saying is, there’s a chance, so don’t throw yourself head first on this friendship or whatever is going on. Do you have more beer?”

“Freezer.”

Alex was gone for two seconds, she would swear to anyone who asked. But when she came back, Kara had already put on a rerun of Friends, hidden the remote and stuffed two slices of pizza in her mouth.

“Kara!”

“Alex!”

“Tonight was my pick. We were watching A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

“But I’m sad.”

And she pouted. Alex sighed, opened her beer and sat down. Most of the times, having a younger sister consisted on this. Resignation and alcohol.

“The last potsticker is mine.”

“Alex!”

**

Most times, Lena shared Sam’s views on her brother, such as, she usually wanted to punch him. When he wasn’t being annoying, Lena wanted to punch him. Hard. But there were days, that things just got out of hand.

Today was one of those days.

Her morning started much the same, as all her previous Monday mornings started. Morgana tucked safely against her collarbone as she moved around her kitchen preparing her breakfast and packing lunch. Then, Lex was there, setting down a drawing storage tube on her counter, stealing her toast and leaving with nothing more than ‘Sam’s grabbing it on Friday, see you on Thanksgiving’.

Lena hadn’t even known he was in town. So, she had set her cat down, in order to take a look at her very boring, very necessary, task in hand, she still technically worked for LuthorCorp, after all. It didn’t take much to realize she would need much more time than she had until her deadline.

It was the reason she skipped lunch. The moment the bell rang and her AP Chemistry students hurriedly left, Lena had taken out the drawings and opened them on her desk. She remembered, then, why she didn’t pursue this, why she strayed away from working on her family business.

The multiple long nights she had spent hunched over her desk, laptop open on its corner, lampshade on and an inhuman amount of projects to be turned in. She had hated every single minute she wasted on that. Still, she would’ve double majored again without questioning, bioengineering and all.

It was also how the person who stood at her door found her fifteen minutes into her break.

Fifteen minutes were enough to make her lower back hurt and her shoulders tense, she found herself relieved by the interruption. Until she saw Kara with an easy smile greeting her, and the grip on her mechanical pencil tightened.

“I wanted to know if you’d like company for lunch.”

Her eyes went back to the blue prints scattered on the top of her table, her messy handwriting covering almost every blank space she previously had.

“I’m skipping lunch today.” She settled with.

“The offer for company stands.”

Lena leaned over the desk, eyes focusing back on the work she had left. She appreciated the interruption, she truly did, but it had already helped, and so she had to go back.

“I’m a little busy, right now. And I usually prefer eating alone.”

“Oh.”

She dropped the corner of the page she was holding, hands coming up to rub at her eyes instead. Chair pushed back, her gaze fell back into the woman standing at her door, free hand fixing her glasses. Lena doubted it needed fixing in the first place.

“Shit, sorry, that came out really rude. I just have a lot of work to get through and I wouldn’t be a very good company at the moment.”

“No, it’s okay, I understand.”

“Maybe some other time?”

Kara smiled as if she knew what Lena was letting on. She nodded and smiled, nevertheless.

“Some other time.” And she left.

Lena picked up her mechanical pencil again.

(If she wrote a little _fuck you, Lex_ at the corner of every page, it totally wasn’t her fault.)

**

With a grunt, Alex picked up the bag from the ground of her office, swinging it over her shoulder. The protest of her muscles only confirmed what she’d been thinking for a long time: she was out of shape. Or, out of _her_ shape.

The chill breeze of the beginning of the fall helped with the burning, and she made it to the field with less breath than she would like to admit. Having Kara there, teasing smile and handing out a bottle of water to her, didn’t help. After a long sip, she clasped it and sat down at the bench next to hr sistr, left leg stretched out in front of herself.

“Not a word, I can still kick your ass.”

“I was going to offer you to join me at gym. Is it still hurting?”

“Just a little uncomfortable.”

The silence that fell upon them was the most comfortable Alex could ever imagine getting. She got really lucky with Kara over the years, especially as they grew closer and older.

As her students started to gather on the middle of the field, Alex’s gaze followed them. Most of the teens were already familiar to Alex, only a handful of freshmen she hadn’t gotten a chance to meet yet on their first month. The small crowd mostly consisted of seniors, many of them from previous teams Alex had coached.

Yeah, Alex could work with this.

Kara’s fidgeting got her attention, the excited wave did nothing but pike her interest. She watched as Lena raised her hand in recognition, tight smile that Alex could see from miles away, before she made her way to sit by the side of the same brunette from weeks ago.

She bumped her shoulder against her sister’s, chin slightly turned at their direction.

“That’s the girlfriend.”

“Wow. You didn’t mention she was, well, stunning.”

That was something Alex had to agree on. After that morning on the parking lot, Alex had seen her once more, one lazy early evening, as she made her way out of the school, the woman had just walked in. Alex had stared until she rounded the first corner, the path to Lena’s classroom not lost to her.

This third time, Alex could take a longer look at her. And Kara was absolutely right. She was beautiful.

Lena, as it seemed, was completely different around her, leaning her head against her shoulder and smiling freely, whispered words and heavy glances shared between them.

A couple of years back, she would’ve been jealous at the sight. She would’ve been enraged. She would’ve felt pain. But Maggie had been a long time ago, and it didn’t hurt anymore, and so she smiled. Sadly, but still a smile.

“Yeah.” She got up, stretched her arms above her head and took a last look at her sister, blue eyes still fixed at the same place they were before. “Try not to drool, it’s not a good look on you. Okay, guys, let’s warm up.” She raised her voice and jogged to the middle of the field.

It was going to be a long year.

**

Kara dropped, rather forcefully, Alex’s coffee cup by the side of her resting head. It was not unusual of Alex to be in a bad mood in the mornings, especially before early classes. Kara never mentioned that, to her sister, any class before noon would be considered an early class. To this date, Kara couldn’t figure out how Alex had gone through college in one piece.

She only nodded at the muffled ‘thank you’ her sister let out before focusing on the other person on the room with them. Lena was just turning around to leave, a black mug wrapped tightly around her fingers and, instinctively, Kara did the same with hers.

That morning, she got a small smile. It was more than, well, any other person claimed to get on most days, so Kara smiled widely. A smiled not reserved for anyone, especially before she got her dose of morning caffeine.

“Good morning, Kara. Miss Danvers.”

“Have a nice day, Lena.” And she left with a small wave.

There was a groan behind her, her eyes following the direction of the sound, to find her sister raising her head from the table, confusion written all over her face.

“How does she call you Kara after knowing you for a month, and after three years I’m still ‘Miss Danvers’?”

“I told her she could call me Kara.”

“I told her she could call me Kara.” Alex mimicked, brought her cup to her lips, then scrunched up her nose. “This is disgusting. Is this pumpkin?”

She looked down at her cup, or rather, Alex’s order. Black coffee. Plain. With a grimace she traded them, her sister still looking at her hurtfully, as if asking how Kara could betray her like that.

“Are you drinking a pumpkin spice latte?”

“It’s October.” Was all she offered with a shrug as if it explained everything.

“You’re getting all crazy on Holidays again.” Her sister got up, another grunt leaving her mouth, and took her cup. “Just don’t go around hanging decorations all over you classroom okay?”

“You’re going to be late for your class.”

“Kiss ass.”

**

The longest streak on Lena’s life was not something she should be very proud of. And, yet, it was not something up to herself to break, and that was where all the problems were lying. She had to rely on people for that.

Lena had a firm belief that people refused to listen. That made them stupid and susceptible to mistakes. Potentially hurtful mistakes.

Her thesis was based on fifteen years of careful observation. And through all fifteen years, this happened at least once. She had thought, back in High School, that once she was out of there, it would stop, but college had come and it showed her people were still indeed really stupid and couldn’t listen. Leaving college meant the beginning of her teaching career, and this, on the other hand, meant dealing with teenagers waiting to get hurt. It didn’t matter how many warnings she gave, it always happened.

It led to fifteen years of lab accidents. She was never involved in any of those, and could only stand back, shaking her head as it went down.

Her year had started well, they usually did, because she was already with the same students for a semester and a couple of accidents, at least, had already happened and so they took her warnings more seriously. They would go like this until she had freshmen again. Like now.

She only sighed when she heard the loud gasp followed by a curse. Her money was on spilled reagent, most likely acid someone should not be handling, this was, after all, the cause of any commotion most of the times. Closely followed by cuts caused by broken glassware and, more times than not, burns. The last ones were the worst.

As long as the accidents stayed on those three, and, on occasion, an abnormality, Lena could deal with them. Which meant, the gas leaking incident of 2015 should not be repeated at any circumstance.

Much like the thirteen-year-old seeing it happen for the first time, Lena shook her head. This time, like she had been doing since leaving college, she got up and walked toward the voice.

No perfect year this time.

There would always be next year.

**

Ruby thanked whatever force was out there when the bell rang. There was just a certain amount of torture she could handle at every day, and Fridays? Fridays were the worst.

It’s not that she hated computer science, per say, she loved Mr. Schott, she really did, but there was only so much she could take at once before things didn’t make sense anymore.

She sighed, shoving the notebook inside her backpack, and leaving. She hadn’t created many expectations for High School, still, it managed to not live up to any of them. She hated to think it would only get worse before it got better.

After grabbing what she needed for the weekend from her locker, Ruby went to Lena’s room. It wasn’t unusual for her to do that, Lena usually stayed late working either LuthorCorp or High School related. And, for working on the other side of the city and never managing work hours to match her own, her mother could never pick her up on time. Of course, she had other options to leave. She just found that staying with Lena was always better.

This time around, though, her reasons to reach Lena’s class were different, she didn’t mind the arrangement they did. Her mother had to go to Metropolis for conferences for ten days and, before even being told what to do, she was already packing enough clothes to go to Lena’s house. It wasn’t even a question what she had to do.

Staying at Lena’s was like summer vacation in the middle of school year because comfortable Lena was entirely too different from teacher Lena. And there was always promises of eating healthy and actually cooking, promises Sam knew very well wouldn’t be fulfilled. Because it ended in baking and ordering in. Every time. And Lena always let her see the last prototype she helped LuthorCorp create.

It was perfect. It became more than perfect when she found out they had another companion. A very cuddly, very soft kitty that Ruby couldn’t stay away from.

That being said, Lena was expecting her. It was the reason Ruby didn’t bother knocking before entering and freezing on the spot.

Kara Danvers, English teacher Kara Danvers, was leaning against the desk, ankles crossed as Lena mirrored the pose, arms stretched in front of herself to show her phone to both of them. The small coo she heard from Kara brought her suspicions to life. Then:

“She’s so tiny! You have to bring her someday.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s against school regulation.”

“But I have to meet Morgana.”

The small smile playing on Lena’s face almost made Ruby guilty of breaking their moment. Almost. But she realized Lena had named her cat and haven’t told her yet, and she was a little petty.

So she knocked, both women jumping slightly before turning their attention towards Ruby.

“Ready to go?” Lena asked, phone forgotten on top of her table.

Whatever Lena had left to say, it was cut short when Miss Danvers gave her a lingering hug, one that Ruby didn’t have to know Lena very well (something that she did, sometimes she wondered if she knew Lena better than she knew herself) to know she was uncomfortable in, she understood it just by the light pat she delivered on the blonde’s back.

It was something Ruby herself took a long time to understand, something her mother had talked about with her previously. Lena wasn’t a very tactile person, much less when other people initiated contact instead of herself. She wasn’t against them, or hated them, it just took her a little while longer to get there. Especially with people she didn’t know so well.

And Miss Danvers left, with a big smile on her face and a promise to catch up on Monday. Ruby kept staring at Lena’s reddened cheeks and fidgety fingers.

“Don’t tell your mother about it.”

She didn’t even bother to clarify, there was no need for that.

“What’s in it for me?”

“You’re spending way too much time with Lex, I have to have a talk with your mother.” Then. “All you can eat ice cream?” Ruby raised an eyebrow, something Lena acknowledged was a habit the girl had picked up from herself, crossed her arms in front of her chest. “And you can pick the movie until Sam gets back.”

“You have a deal.”

The smile was almost innocent as she struck out her hand. Almost. Lena had known her for long enough.

**

Lena Luthor walking through a grass field in heels was not something you’d see every day. Lena Luthor in jeans, a light sweater, hair down and glasses ( _glasses_ ) was even rarer. Alex thanked her sister had a department meeting that afternoon, she wouldn’t have survived that.

She shifted her attention from the field for a minute, taking in as the woman got closer. It was not the first time she had the presence of Lena Luthor on her practices, ever since the tryouts, she had shown her face a few more times around, mostly sharing her company with a brunette Alex never had the courage to talk to.

(Kara had enough to tease her about, because she ever only managed a nod and a tight smile when the Arias got closer to her, before walking the opposite direction.

Alex had to agree on being teased. She only knew her last name because of Ruby Arias, after all.)

Her point was it wasn’t uncommon to see Lena Luthor around most times. Except this time her company wasn’t anywhere to be seen (Alex was _sure_ of that), one glance to her wristwatch showed that training was coming to a close, and her coworker had arrived alone.

With a simple dip of her chin, Alex greeted her when she stopped by her side.

“Which one is yours?” Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Lena turned to her with an eyebrow raised and Alex could’ve sworn she saw the hints of a smile, it caused a grin to break out on her face. “She knows how to smile! Are you getting soft on me now, Luthor?”

“Oh, you wish, Danvers.” And for her total disbelief, Lena actually bumped her shoulder against hers in a slight shove. “I’m just waiting Ruby. Arias. Ruby Arias.”

 _Of course_.

“No girlfriend this time?”

The question was out before Alex could stop herself. It was none of her business, not in the slightest, and she shouldn’t be the one asking about it, once only Kara had interest on the answer.

(Only Kara, for sure.)

This time, though, it wasn’t a hint of a smile that crossed Lena’s lips. It was a huge grin, and, in Alex’s opinion, it was scary because it was not something you would expect from Lena Luthor. The Lena Luthor who was all glares and pursed lips and discontentment clear on her face whenever she looked at students doing stupid things.

It was something Alex could relate to. It was, after all, the same expression she wore most of the time. Working with teenagers had its disadvantages, and, of course, seeing them doing things wrong, no matter how many times you explained, was one of them. Alex loved it.

“Girlfriend?”

The glint in her eyes not lost to Alex and she knew that very well. Amusement.

“Yeah, uh, Ruby’s mom?” There was a laugh (Alex could really understand why her sister was so attracted to Lena) and a hand brushed against her shoulder for a fraction of a second. “Luthor?”

“Ruby is my goddaughter and Sam is my best friend. She’s out of town for a while so Ruby is staying with me.”

“She’s single then?”

And Alex really, really needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.

“Yes, she is.” And she watched as Lena waved towards Ruby, who was helping the other girls to gather the remaining balls scattered around the field. “And very much into women, if you’d like to know, Danvers.”

Maybe Alex should’ve been the one to have a department meeting that afternoon. But there were small victories even in her embarrassment, like her sister wasn’t there to watch the scene unfold. Like Lena was actually kind of funny when she wasn’t all serious.

(Like Sam was single.)

“I never got to say this to you, but you should be more careful when riding that awful thing. Or maybe you should think about buying a car.”

(Alex was aware of the rumors. Broken leg after driving drunk, broken ankle after falling from the stairs, she was hit by a car. Usual High School things.

Truth was way less exciting and it involved a broken leash, a puppy and Alex’s reflexes. Maybe a few scratches and a torn ACL, but, you know, details.)

“Did you miss me when I was gone, Luthor?”

Thin lips pressed into a line, eyes set in any place other than Alex’s face. She wasn’t as disciplined, though, as she traced the strong lines along her jawline. Her sister was fucked. There was never a doubt about this.

“You’re competent” (It was the closest to a compliment she ever got) “and it was very inconvenient having to deal with someone new.” As Ruby came running towards them, Lena turned slightly, a small smile on her face. “See you tomorrow, Alex.”

(Fever dream, definitely fever dream.)

Alex waited until Lena had left with Ruby by her side, and she watched as Lena leaned down to whisper on Ruby’s ear, both pair of eyes glancing one last time at her direction before leaving for good, and she took her phone out of her pocket.

 _So_ (5:47pm)

 _Good news, for you_ (5:47pm)

 _Lena is not dating Arias_ (5:48pm)

 _Better news is_ (5:48pm)

 _Her name’s Sam_ (5:48pm)

**

Kara did, in fact, decorated her classroom for Halloween. To say Alex wasn’t pleased would be the understatement of the week.

Knowing her sister for over a decade, Alex should’ve suspected it would happen. She should’ve known her sister would, no matter what she said, go way overboard on her holiday spirit. Kara was, after all, an enthusiastic.

Still, arriving barely ten minutes before her class began, the first sight that greeted her was Kara tiptoeing on the final step of a ladder, what looked to be a very good imitation of spider web hanging precariously from her fingers. No, Alex was not surprised at all as students had to slow down or take a step to the side to continue their path. Kara was, after all, taking a third of the hall.

Her surprise came in the form of Lena Luthor, arms crossed and resting against one of the unused steps, head up, eyes trained on Kara.

From all people, Lena was the one helping (or, in Alex’s opinion, pretending to help), as her sister did the final touches on what Alex’s suspected was the exact opposite of Kara had said she would do. What meant, Kara had gone over the top. Again.

No surprise there.

“Is it better now?”

“I don’t see the difference.”

“It has to be centralized, Lena. It’s really important.”

A look through the open door proved Alex right. There were spider garlands hanging from the ceiling, black paper bats glued to the walls, a carved pumpkin carefully placed on the edge of her desk, and, yes, Alex did do a double take on that one. Her eyes hadn’t betrayed her yet.

(She didn’t fail to notice the disassembled skeleton dropped by the side of her desk. Alex really wanted to just ignore that.)

“And to think I was sure you’d be the one to talk some sense into my sister.”

Lena’s eyes barely left Kara to acknowledge her presence by her side, and Alex would be lying if she said the dismiss didn’t hurt.

“And I guess you know once Kara puts something on her mind, there’s no way you can keep her from doing it.”

“Touché, Luthor.”

“I think it’s right now. Alex, second opinion?”

She was used to this, she knew the answer, she knew her sister too well after so long. Her opinion being asked was nothing but a formality, Kara was crazy about her holidays like this, she had come to learn.

When all her sister got was a wave, she took it as a sign her work was done, and so she started to step down. Alex tried to ignore the look the passing students were giving them, they sure looked like an odd group, as Kara tucked the ladder under her arm, a huge grin on her face, Lena smothered the front of her dark red overcoat until she tucked her hands inside of the pockets and Alex only stared at them both.

Honestly? Her brain was functioning in less than a three hour sleep, courtesy of her knee that started hurting just before she got into bed. The pain was still there, and all she wanted to do was get into court so she could sit and stretch (she really needed to take Kara’s offer to go to the gym with her, it would be good). She wasn’t very participant on the unfolding situation.

Someday, a future someday, Alex would say she should’ve seen it coming. She would say it was on the way Lena seemed softer when the action began, or how she saw Kara nod a fraction of a second before it happened.

And somehow, they stood in the middle of the hallway, as Lena got closer, hands coming from their previous place holding black rimmed glasses. Kara’s glasses. It was a simple gesture, and Kara smiled once it was done.

But then, it turned way more intimate, in the way Lena’s hand didn’t come back down right away, how her finger sought the contact against Kara’s cheek, thumb tracing the lines just below the lenses, how Kara’s smile became soft, then something else entirely, how their eyes seemed to hold each other’s, and, suddenly, Alex felt like she was intruding in something charged. A place she shouldn’t have been to begin with.

Then, again, they were still in a very public area, if the handful of students stopping to stare was any indication.

She cleared her throat loudly, both women startling out of their shared moment. Lena’s hand snapping back, being shoved inside her pocket as if it burnt. The realization they weren’t alone might have burnt.

Kara laughed awkwardly, face turning various shades of red until it could easily compete with Lena’s coat and win, blue eyes settling in her general direction. (Alex doubted her sister could focus on anything at the moment.)

“So, Alex, I kinda need a”

“No, Kara, I’m not putting a skeleton on my office. That’s final.”

“Rude.”

**

“No, Lex, you cannot drop more work into me. I have my responsibilities to take care of.”

Kara leaned against the open door, eyes easily following her movements. They possessed such grace, such finesse that Kara had no power to not get lost in them. It was on the confident steps she took, pacing in front of her desk, hips swaying to the beat of the most beautiful song. A most beautiful song that wasn’t even playing.

Lena was like that, embodiment of perfection, gifted by kindness and carved by intelligence. Her long, gray vest flowed down her sides, gently moving around her as she walked, as if the fabric was too afraid of touching her. That was something she could understand.

Something so perfect had to be fragile, maybe the most fragile thing she had ever laid her eyes on. It meant there could never be nothing but gentleness around her, nothing too forceful in case she broke. Nothing to ever make her break.

A gentle perfection that led to fragility. And, yet, Lena was still so forceful, so powerful, so… commanding, it scared. Because she was polar opposites wrapped up together, she was layers and layers waiting to be shown, she was strength and longing placed in a small space, each of them trying to shadow the other.

Then, she stopped, her profile completely visible for Kara to see, from the sharp cut of her jaw to the long expression lines just shy of her cheeks. Eyebrow creased, gritted teeth and exhilarating power, commanding to be heard, to be bowed to, to be followed. Kara thought she had never seen no one so beautiful.

No, she was sure of it.

“No, you listen to me, you little shit. I consult for your company, yes, _consult_ , and you know why’s that? Because I have my own damn job, I’m not an active employee of yours to be bossed around, especially by you, so you should be a little more respectful towards me, are we understood? Lex, are we understood?” A beat passed. “I love you too, and yes for lunch, but you’re paying.”

The call was over like that, Lena not bothering on waiting for an answer from the person on the other end of the line.

For all the grace she possessed, her phone was dropped to her table rather forcefully, a deep sigh coming from her mouth, hands griping at the edge of her desk. Apart from the four inches heels, Lena looked rather small, somewhat defeated. She knocked once and that little vulnerability she showed at the thought of being alone was gone, her shoulders pushed back and head held high.

“Hey.”

“Kara.” She smothered the front of her vest and shirt, not that any creases were present in the first place. “Come in, please, close the door.”

She did as she was told, brown bag hitting her thigh at every step.

“How much of that did you hear?”

“Enough to be thankful I wasn’t the one at the end of that call.” She cracked a smile, one that was not returned and so she held the bag in Lena’s line of sight. “I also brought a doughnut, you do like them right?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

The rest of their lunch break passed like this, most often than not, Kara’s comments becoming full-on ramblings and she was sure, by the time the first bell rang, she would’ve made Alex really proud.

(Definitely because she hadn’t made a fool of herself.

Well, mostly.)

But there was one thing she was sure of, barely twenty minutes after shared conversation and anxious smiles: she was screwed. Beautifully, perfectly, completely screwed. All reasons Lena.

(What a way to go.)

She was ready to leave, Lena following a couple of steps behind, until she stopped, hands shoved inside her pockets, blurting out words before she could fully process them and, by consequence, overthink what she was doing.

“Actually, I also wanted to ask you something.” When there was no answer besides Lena fidgeting with the sugary treat on her hands, only a small bite being taken from it, Kara took it as a confirmation to continue. “So, you know how I love holidays and get crazy excited for them, and no one here seems to get it as much. Like, Winn is okay and there’s this Physic’s teacher, Brainy, that loves it as well, but it’s not much. And Halloween is so close, so I think my question would be”

Lena nodded for her to continue. She took a deep breath in, held one of her hands in the other, rocking on the balls of her feet.

“Would you consider bringing Morgana and wearing a pointy hat? Pretty please?”

A minute passed where silence hung between them.

“There is a zero percent chance I’ll do that.” Lena took a step forward, hand resting gently against her shoulder, a warm, calm smile on her face. “But if you’d like to join me for lunch some other time, I’d really appreciate the company.”

“I’d really like that.”

**

“ _You hate donuts_.”

“You should’ve seen the smile she gave me when I accepted it.” Morgana meowed to get her attention, the small cat being taken from the floor and put over her shoulder. “Sam, that’s not even the worse. I was ready to ask which hat she wanted me to wear and if Morgana needed one as well.”

“ _Oh my God._ ”

“Stop laughing at me, I’m serious!”

**

Lena was the one to open the door of the restaurant for her daughter and she even made a show of bowing slightly to prompt her to go in next.

There were times in which Sam felt bad for no longer having the time she used to have for Lena, the time she, for the past few years, reserved for LuthorCorp and LuthorCorp only. And their shared evenings in during college became more and more scarce as the years went by, until it came to a point where they just didn’t have the time, mostly her fault on that.

Sam had missed her. Sam had missed her best friend. And things had to be adjusted for them to get to where they were now, when they didn’t have to ask anymore, when schedules didn’t have to get cleaned or meeting rescheduled. They were in a place where they fit into each other’s week casually, perfectly, if it were on short calls over lunch or trying out new restaurants over the weekend. Like now.

With a clearance of her throat, she got Lena’s attention. It was in the way her eyes shifted, barely taking her in, but they knew each other too well, Sam knew she had her undivided attention.

“So, Ruby told me something very interesting.”

“Ruby, I bribed you!”

Lena slowly closed the wine selection, laying it gently at the table and folding her forearms on top of it. The glare sent into her daughter’s direction was soft, Lena never knew how to be stern, never with Ruby actually.

It was one of the reasons Ruby loved her so much and why Sam loved Lena as well. It was also one of the reasons Sam usually got hesitant on leaving her daughter with her, she had exactly zero confidence on Lena’s capacity of saying no. That was also why most of Lena’s phone calls over those nights started with ‘I just wanted to let you know it wasn’t my fault’ followed by a sigh from Sam.

The girl in question raised a single shoulder in a halfhearted apology, before letting her eyes fall back to the menu she was holding.

“You didn’t let me eat my fifth pit.”

“You were going to get sick.”

Honestly? Sam actually did appreciate Lena’s determination at the time, she couldn’t help but think if Ruby was five or six, things would be really different. She was talking about apologetic calls in the middle of the night and late drives to the hospital kind of different.

“Still, feels like this could’ve been avoided, aunt Lena.”

“You are letting her spend too much time with Lex, this is no good for her.”

“Oh, don’t you even try, Lena. We’re getting back to the fact you still let my daughter eat four pits of ice cream on her own in one night. One night, Lena!”

Fingers drumming against the wood of the table, foot tapping against the floor, Sam leaned forward, too excited to contain herself, huge grin being nothing but proof of the statement.

Lena barely spare her a glance, resignation framing her expression. There was no way out, Lena knew that, there was never a way out from this.

“Just ask, you are making me nervous.”

“So, how are things with Kara, the ‘cute new teacher with sauce dripping down her arm’?”

“You still remember that?”

“It was a very memorable phone call and I got really curious about her. So, of course I remember.”

The teasing wasn’t lost on her tone, she knew Lena would get it, she always did. But that got Ruby’s attention, her menu being placed down so she could stare at both woman, disbelief in her eyes.

“You like Miss Kara? Like _like_ Kara?”

_I really love my kid._

The look of pure fear on Lena’s face was priceless, and Sam brought her hand up to cover her mouth and, by consequence, her smile. It wasn’t very effective, she was sure.

Jaw hanging down, her eyes moved from Ruby, in pure shock, to her, in pure betrayal. Then, she sat herself straight in her seat, looked over Sam’s shoulder and, as casually as she could manage, said “Your mother likes Alex. And, before you ask, yes, likes  _likes_ Alex.”

Ruby was starring at her, blood rushing to her cheeks as she bit her lip. She would get back at Lena for this, she so would. Because, after all, that’s what adult friendship was about, relentless teasing. And, sometimes, revenge.

(Oh, there would be revenge for that.)

“ _Coach_ Danvers?” Sam nodded, dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand. “What is it with you and my teachers?”

“For starters, well, they”

“Aunt Lena, please, I’m begging you, don’t finish it.” Ruby sighed, resigned. “I can’t believe I’m partaking in this, but, mom, Alex is single. She called off an engagement few years back with Maggie, I think, and didn’t date anyone after that. Also, she’s nice, like, really nice. So, I’m okay with that one.”

Sam just stared, and when Ruby realized the conversation stopped altogether. She raised her shoulder in a half shrug.

“Teens talk a lot and they like gossip.”

“Don’t you have any gossip to share with your aunt Lena? About, maybe a certain blonde, new English teacher?”

“Sam, don’t make me tell Ruby about how Alex asked me if you were single.”

“Okay, I think I don’t want to know any more. I’ll just go back to pretending I’m reading the menu and you can go back to whatever adults talk about.”

Her eyes found Lena’s at the same moment, they smiled at each other.

**

Sam was always told, mostly by Lena, she was straightforward.

It was a quality highly appreciated at the boardroom, one that she loved because it usually cut her meetings halfway short, she went straight into business mode, no time nor patience for anything besides it. It prompted her more time with Ruby and Lena, it made her hear less bullshit with each passing day, but it also made her dating options non-existent.

She realized then and there that her years spent on taking care of Ruby and, of course, the need to put Ruby above anything else took its tool on some part of her life. If it happened no be her personal life, well, it was just how things were.

And now, now she cursed her impulsiveness, her inability of holding back. Because Alex Danvers, beautiful, strong, gentle and very, _very_ hot Alex Danvers stared at the neatly cut card in between Sam’’s fingers as if debating whether or not it would be a good idea to take it, to use it. (Sam really hoped she did.)

Mouth dry and heart racing, she stared as Alex did take it, brought it closer for a better look, and, again, Sam couldn’t hold herself.

“My personal number is in the back.”

The smirk on her face was sinful, was the kind of dirty smile Sam hadn't received in ages and wanted to know if she still knew how to transform it into something else entirely. (She would have a lot of fun doing that to Alex.)

She hadn’t missed the fact that Alex took the opportunity to brush their fingers together, such a small gesture that evoked so much in Sam. She swallowed dry.

(The scariest part was not remembering when was the last time someone made her act like this, made her feel like this in such a short notice.

Alex, she was sure, could be the real deal.

Maybe that was the scariest.

No, scratch that, Alex was definitely the real deal for her and that was terrifying.)

“And why would I need that, Samantha?”

Sam really wanted to wipe the stupidly attractive smirk off of her face. She still wasn’t sure how she would do that, her list of optionswas fairly long and very entertaining. As for the environment they were in, Sam just wanted to kiss her.

Instead, she took a step closer, lowered her voice to a place Lena always said it was sexy. Maybe that happened after the third glass of wine and none of them cared enough anymore.

“I thought you would appreciate after Lena told me you were asking about me.” Recognition ran through her eyes, not fear, just a glint in a place Sam could not express. “And it can be used for anytime you have more questions so you won’t bother Lena.”

Alex laughed, head hanging down, the scent of her hair surrounding Sam and she wanted to feel it again. She wanted to make Alex laugh again because her laugh was heavenly.

(Sam was fucked. There was never a doubt about that.)

“You are very forward, anyone ever told you that?”

“Well, it’s just when I see something I like I don’t wanna wait.”

“Did you just?”

“Yes.”

Sam smiled at the redness crawling up from Alex’s neck to her cheeks, making the woman blush was becoming something she was very fond of doing.

(“What do I get if I don’t tell what happened to aunt Lena?”

“Oh, Ruby, you forget bribery only works with Lena because she’s soft. I’m your mother, you get not to be grounded for the rest of school year.”

“Deal.”)

**

“Do you need any help with that?”

The question came as Lena tried to gather a month worth of LuthorCorp’s related business in her hands for long enough to carry them to the open duffelbag at the corner of the room.

If anyone asked, she wouldn’t hesitate answering. She loved her brother, no matter what. That meant, no matter how much he annoyed her, dropped his problems on her back, most of the times demanded without asking, at a very deep, dark corner of her heart, hidden from everyone, Lena loved him.

Which was a very different love than the one she felt for Sam. With Sam, it shown itself for anyone to see, because there was no moral inquiry on loving Sam. With Lex, things were very different. He grew up to be, at the end of the day, a very spoiled rich man. There was nothing more dangerous than that.

So, if Lena was a little rougher on him more times than she would ever admit to Lillian, it was because he needed to hear harsh words. It was because someone had to keep him in the reality, the one that wasn’t created on his mind.

Lena loved her brother ever since she stepped into her new house, there was never any doubt about that. Sometimes, in reality, very few times, that love came back to haunt her. Because he would take her willingness to help and he would go over the top, normally that was when she would stop him, but there were other times when she just sighed and agreed.

It usually left her with more work than a fourteen-hour work schedule was able to handle and no way to neglect any of her jobs. (Consulting for Lex started as a way to continue her development on her area, to continue up to date in her passion, the moment that it became a second job was very lost on her.)

Today was one of those days, when, just like Sam, she really wanted to punch Lex. Because he had used Sam to be his carrier, the deliverer of bad news, or, in this case, not reviewed projects along with the reminder of needing them by Thanksgiving.

(At the middle of the year, Lena wasn’t even planning on going back to Metropolis for Thanksgiving. She didn’t have much of a choice then.)

As she looked over the papers sticking out of her arms, she stared at Kara, hand still up in the motion of knocking on her door to make her presence known. She smiled sheepishly, Kara didn’t need more confirmation.

She tried to ignore, Lena had trained her expressions really well over the decades, yet, there was nothing she could’ve done to stop it. Because, the moment Kara’s fingers grazed the skin in display of her forearm, trying to find the better way of helping, Lena could feel her chest getting warmer and she knew it was just a matter of time before she felt her cheeks flushing as well.

Kara’s hand came up to push her glasses back into place, before helping Lena to put the strap around her shoulder, bag casually resting against her hips.

“That looks like a lot of work and not at all like essays.” She smiled, it was becoming harder to deny herself such a simple gesture especially when Kara was the reason. Kara, more often than not, was the reason.

“These are for my brother, actually. Guess who’s running for a raise at the second job?”

“You have a second job?”

“It was a joke.”

The laugh that came from Kara was a little uncomfortable, her hand coming up to rub at the back of her neck, something Lena gathered to be one of the many mannerisms from the blonde when the nerves took the best of her, much like pushing up her glasses, something she did without even think and, most of the times, for no reason at all.

A look at her wrist watch proved she had enough time to waste on small talk. If any time spent with Kara could be considered a waste.

Lena adjusted the strap on her shoulder, found Kara’s eyes behind the lenses.

“Did you just happen to sense there was a damsel in distress in need of your help?”

“I doubt you would ever settle for being one.” A low laugh, a flutter of her chest, a voice in her head getting harder to ignore. “But, no, I was wondering if you already had plans for Thanksgiving?”

_Oh._

As much as she wanted to say no, she didn’t, she was free and would love spend it with Kara, cancel the flight that left less than two hours from now, text an apologetic excuse to Lex and hope he would buy it, (a move Sam would support a hundred percent) Lena couldn’t.

She had plans to comply, even if it meant having to deal with her mother for an entire weekend. Even if it meant having to deal with Lex and probably be swamped with work for the next month or so.

(Even if it meant not spending it with Kara.)

“Thank you so much, Kara, but it’s my annual visit to Metropolis to see my family, I’m really sorry. Maybe next time?”

Lena saw it, for the first time she was close enough to actually notice the way her eyes seemed to dull whenever she received a ‘no’ from Lena. It made her wonder if it happen to anyone else or if it was something reserved only for her.

(There were many things about Kara Danvers that she wondered just the same. If the smiles she got were only for her, if the compliments made anyone else’s day brighter, if Kara went out of her way for another one, just because she though about them.

Lena didn’t know the answer. Lena was, in fact, too afraid of finding out, because she didn’t know which one of them was scarier.

_No?_

_Yes?_ )

“Next time.” And Lena promised herself there would be a next time.

There was no doubt this time around. She was going to kill Lex.

**

“What is she doing?”

“Decorating for Christmas.”

The answer from Lena came in a tone that showed just how obvious this whole thing was. Well, it was obvious. Kara was in the same ladder she just just a month ago, this time, Lena stood back and watched, hanging mini wreaths above her door and wearing that green sweater that Alex hated.

It was obvious that Kara was decorating, again, her sister loved holidays, so it came with no surprise. At all. Especially so after Halloween.

(Alex didn’t complain much after she stole some of the candy Kara was handing the students on the hall. She was sure, this time, she would steal candy cane and her mood improved drastically.)

Somehow, Alex didn’t find it surprising at all that Kara had already started her decorations for Christmas. On November, its last week but November nevertheless. Just typical Kara.

“Should we help?”

“Kara said we were useless last time and, if we’re not helping, we shouldn’t stay in the way.”

“She loves decorating, so she takes Christmas very seriously. And, is that?”

“Yes, she brought a Christmas tree.”

**

December third marked the date things start shifting on National City High.

December third marked the date many students, way more than twenty, swore on anything and everything that they saw Lena Luthor (yes, Lena _glared at a student for five minutes straight_ Luthor), giggle.

The story began same as it usually did. She stepped out of her classroom, this time followed by a single student keeping a good foot of distance between them, head hanging down, shifting his weight from foot to foot. It was always easy to spot someone recently reprimanded by Miss Luthor, usually everyone had a first time on the position.

The scene never seize to bring attention, nevertheless. Maybe it was the imposing way Lena walked, or maybe it was the clicking of heels that could be overheard from anywhere. The clicks that were so distinctive, even the students that weren’t Lena’s knew who they belonged to.

But he kept his distance, even a bit more, when Lena stopped and stared. Because it wasn’t unusual to have Kara Danvers anywhere near Miss Luthor’s class, actually, it was becoming an everyday type of occurrence, just another one of those things everyone knew and no one was brave enough to talk about.

What had never happened, though, was Kara Danvers wearing one of those stupidly ugly Christmas sweaters, A _Rudolph’s_ ugly Christmas sweater, with a red fur ball glued to the front and all kind.

The attention Lena received doubled, every teen held their breaths as the scene unfolded in front of their eyes. It was a scene to be talked about for years, it was a scene they would tell and people would be reluctant to believe, to accept that yes, Miss Luthor’s exterior had a soft spot.

(If her soft spot consisted on blonde hair, blue eyes and a kind smile, also known as Kara Danvers, well, there was nothing to be done.)

And they watched, maybe twenty or thirty sets of eyes watched as Lena shook her head, mouth twitching as she tried to keep her composure. It took her Kara’s fingers squeezing that awful ball that most likely could not be considered a reindeer’s nose, for Lena to break.

They watched as the twitching became a small smile, just the corner of her lips, and the small smile turned into something that could only be described as a smirk to finally settle at a grin. An actual grin. Then they heard, the sound they would swear over anything that had, in fact, happened.

Miss Luthor giggled. Bringing her hand up to her mouth to try and hide it, but the sound could not be stopped. It had already happened. And they had already heard it.

One minute and a half. It was the exact amount of time needed for her to go back to her facade, chin raised slightly, shoulders squared. The glint on her eyes and the pressed lips the only indications anything happened at all.

“That’s a very ugly sweater.”

Her voice was softer, they would say in they told the last five minutes to anyone and everyone, their own twists and interpretations changing the narrative with time, until it became so far from reality that people would just stop believing. But that one would be real, under every adornment put by the teller, it had happened.

Her voice was softer because it was Kara. Her voice was softer because she wasn’t Miss Luthor then and there, she was Lena, the same one who appeared every once in a blue moon, when she found a student to care for, when she tried to help, when Miss Luthor wasn’t needed.

Only Lena.

“Say that again and I’ll personally wrestle you into one.”

All it took was the shifting of Kara’s eyes, from Lena to the boy standing behind her looking sheepish. Lena was gone then, as fast as she arrived to make an appearance before going back to whenever she stayed during the day, and there stood no other than Miss Luthor.

It was easy to distinguish. It was easier to see that the person they knew, the person who taught them, was nothing but a creation. That wasn’t Lena, not the real one, at least.

“Troublemaker.” And Kara nodded as if it explained everything. Maybe, when it came to Lena, it did. “It’s his first year, so you know how it is.”

“You’re taking him to Mrs. Grant?”

“Worse.” The corner of her lips lifted up. “I’m taking him to Jess.”

**

Maybe saying the rushed words shared in between classes started only after the hallway incident was a lie.

No, it was most likely a lie. That morning only intensified what was already happening and no one was brave enough to acknowledge. The words that crossed everyone’s minds but no one had the courage to voice them. Not to many, actually. Because, separately? They were a topic surfacing ever since the beginning.

The public incident only made the students less hesitant to talk about it. And so, it was the main theme anyone who walked through National City High would overhear.

Miss Danvers and Miss Luthor. Kara and Lena.

And stories popped up from every corner of the school. Some way more credible than others, of course. (No one actually believed this junior who swore he saw the two entering a storage closet together one afternoon.)

But as December rolled around, and the skies turned to gray and then black, as the students began to be buzzed with the energy that only Christmas brought to people, as the wind became so cold it was impossible to go outside without a jacket wrapped around themselves, so did the rumors.

Maybe, less rumors and more speculations based on pointed observation.

Like, how Miss Luthor came in the mornings, two cups of coffee in hands, opposite to how she’s been seen through the years. How Miss Danvers disappeared both from teacher’s lounge and her own classroom during lunch, something more than one student could confirm. How they were, more than once, seen lost deep in conversation as they made their way out. Or how Miss Danvers always walked Miss Luthor to her car.

That moment on the hallway only stirred all those moments together, and, as it usually did, brought rumors with it. They all reached one conclusion, in the end, no matter which road they took: Kara and Lena _were_ dating.

Ruby tried to stay as far as she could from them, even though she was, probably, the one with more to add, from spending so much time with Lena. Which meant, she didn’t partake, but she stored them all. Her mother always seemed to love each development.

**

“Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?” Alex was the one who asked, raised voice, feet popped up on Kara’s glass table, beer in one hand as the other flicked through the remote.

Kara looked at her, from across the room and she couldn’t help but smile at the familiarity of the scene. She knew how thing would unfold from there, they were always the same.

She would go back to the living room, carrying as much food as she could, would swat Alex’s feet from her furniture as she pretended to not have heard the low whine, sit on the opposite side of her small couch and they would argue over what to watch until someone gave in.

(It was usually Alex, Kara was very good at convincing.

Or, you know, pouting.)

No matter how many times this cycle repeated itself, Kara never grew tired of it. It was her sister. It was her home. Things fell into place easily.

And she ignored the mumbled ‘rude’from Alex’s mouth when her feet dropped to the floor, adjusted herself on the space left and stared at her. An eyebrow was raised, Alex’s eyes got more and more inquisitive.

“About what?”

“You and your big-ass crush on Lena.”

“I don’t have a crush on Lena anymore, we’re friends.” Alex snorted. “Maybe a tiny crush.”

“It’s getting physically painful to watch you follow her around, Kara.”

The look of fake exasperation on her sister’s face only made Alex shake her head. Kara was not subtle, not at all, and it was getting harder and harder to be anywhere near the two.

“Should I say what I think you should do?”

“Can we just watch this series HBO released last month and eat ice cream?”

“No, Kara, you’ve been picking for the past month, don’t even try.” Kara leaned into her space, arm already reaching out for a grab at the remote. Alex just shoved her sister lightly. “We’re watching The Haunting Of Hill House because I want to look at Theo fucking Crain and you can’t change my mind.”

Kara settled back at the couch, lower lip sticking out. Alex didn’t spare her a first glance.

**

Winn liked to think he adjusted pretty well to new things. Winn also liked to think that he never let his face match his emotions, which just meant, really, that he could be very impassive towards things. Alex had refuted that last theory pretty soon into their friendship.

The first one? Not so much.

He was the first one to start teaching at the school, used to hanging out with the other professors from his department, none of which he shared a particular interest in. They were okay. And that was it.

Alex came next, and his uneasiness subdued. Things were easier with Alex, she went through her day based on her fair share of sarcasm, never got truly annoyed with his rambling and, under the intimidating gaze, she cared. She cared too much. Alex fit into his life without a second thought of why he should let her in.

Things were just easier.

And, then, he met Kara and he understood. They were kind of the same to Alex’s eyes. The stubborn (annoying), younger sibling she never had, then appeared in her life out of nowhere just short of Alex leaving. Just short of Alex not having her again.

The reason for Alex to have made such an effort during her first months made sense the first time he laid eyes on Kara, even before the year started. On his end of the deal, he got two of the best friends he could’ve asked for. He wasn’t actually complaining at the end of the day.

Small as they were, there were changes happening around him as the years went by. That was the whole point of growing up, after all.

He smiled as he sat opposite from Alex, his greeting being returned by a curt nod followed by a small grunt. She was always short on words. This had been their usual for so long, Winn took some time until he adjusted to the fact that they were still waiting for someone else. This time around, it was taking him a little longer to wrap his head around the not so sudden change.

Kara never took long, though, usually being the one to arrive before anyone else. Or, well, she used to never take too long, until that one time over a month ago when she didn’t show up. Alex didn’t look worried, and so he wasn’t. It didn’t take much probing to get her talking, there was nothing but smugness laced on her voice.

Kara had lunch away once, maybe twice, a week since then and it grew harder and harder to try and argue Alex had been wrong since day one. Kara wasn’t helping at all.

Apparently, neither was Lena.

Winn wondered if today was going to be like the other where Kara just ditched them, not a word in advance, so she could sit down on Lena Luthor’s classroom and, contrary to what majority of the teachers thought (Winn included), hold conversation for little over than half an hour.

When they came in together, barely five minutes later, shoulders brushing as they walked, and deep in conversation, Winn had his answer.

(Speculating and observing, he felt like going back to high school himself. The thought wasn’t sitting very well.)

This time, though, was different from all the other times that had started the same. Usually, they would enter and leave, lunches in hand, in two minutes. Usually, Kara would only spare a glance over her shoulder to demonstrate she had seen them before following Lena out.

Usually, those were the days he didn’t see Kara until the last bell rang.

But Kara sat down next to him, the only available place left being the one next to Alex. His eyes went from the chair, to Lena Luthor standing next to it, to Alex, who smiled in a reciprocated greeting, to Kara next to him, and, finally, back to _Lena_ fucking _Luthor_ casually sitting there.

His eyes settled on Alex, eyebrows raising as far as they would go, eyes a bit wide, surprise written all over his face.

 _Whipped_ , she mouthed.

Alex was right. (She usually was.)

**

If anyone had told Alex she, at the age of thirty-two, would spend half of her night watching YouTube tutorials on how to open a lock with nothing but a tension wrench and pick rates, she would’ve laughed. Then going out to actually buying a tension wrench and pick rates. Which led, of course, to the most embarrassing part of her evening: kneeling in front of her front door to learn to do it quickly.

(The things she did for her sister without even being asked to do.)

Alex would never be able to look at her neighbor's face ever again.

But she had learned, and was confident she could do the whole ordeal in about twenty minutes. Should be enough time to move through the school without being seen.

If anyone had told Alex that, at thirty-two years old she would be breaking and entering offices at her own work, she would’ve laughed. And, still, it was exactly what she was doing at this moment.

Dropping her bag to the ground, Alex knelt on the floor and got to work on picking the last (hopefully) lock of her life. It took her plus eleven minutes to finish everything, from breaking into Kara’s class, stapling the mistletoe just out of her sister’s reach, going to Lena’s to grab her open box of chalk.

She scribbled a messy note, trying to replicate as better as she could her sister’s handwriting, putting it on the place she just took the box from, and left, closing the door quietly.

Bag swung over her shoulder, she stepped into the hallway to be met with the night janitor. She brought her index finger to rest on her lips, walking out of the building as fast as she could.

It was the main reason she first used Sam’s number.

(She would never admit to anyone that she had spent something close to hours opening and closing the contact information, then the Message app, wrote more messages than she thought it was humanly possible, only to erase them and never send anything.

The next step, this step, was on her hands, after the last time. Sam just made her really nervous, for some reason she didn’t want to overthink yet.

There were many things to be lost by taking the wrong turn, Alex had learned. And there were the right things to be said and the right things to ask, and it was more complicated than before because she had passed, long time ago, the phase she wanted anything but a relationship. Something serious.

Alex had understood, little over a year ago, that she didn’t want to get into anything short of serious.

Sam’s forwardness in showing she shared her views caught her off guard. It made her nervous. It made her a coward.

Maybe not this time around.)

 _I might have done something stupid_ (7:52pm)

It had taken her over a month deliberating how she should approach things, how she had to show her interest, how she had to act to make things move in the right direction. A month where Alex convinced herself her cowardliness came off as disinterest, how she could’ve ruined her chances before she even got one. And then, in an act of pure impulsiveness, she jumped into what she’d been wanting.

When Sam answered barely ten minutes later, Alex asked herself why she took so long in the first place, when they could’ve been doing this for weeks.

Sam made things sound simple.

Or simpler than they were.

Texting Sam became second nature.

**

Lena was never unprepared, there was yet to be a day where she was and she wasn’t planning on letting it happen anytime soon. Yet, she found herself frowning and going through her drawers twenty minutes before her class began in search of chalk. The most basic thing she should have.

She went back to the first drawer, where it should’ve been in the first place, hands steadily moving things aside, until she huffed. It wasn’t there. What _was_ there was a folded piece of paper.

_Ran out of chalk so Frank let me in and I borrowed some_

_\- Kara_

With a glance at her watch, extra minutes to pass by Kara’s class and come back, her decision was made. Between going to the secretary to face a very judgmental Jess or going to see Kara, it was never a hard choice to begin with.

(Maybe being a little bit (a lot) in love with Kara Danvers made her decision easier.)

Lena knocked on the door before she lost the courage to do it, not leaving time before opening it just enough to pop her head inside, flashing a small smile towards Kara. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman Lena had ever seen, her grip on the door handle getting stronger when a simple smile was returned at her.

There was no doubt, then, that she was in too deep already.

A single finger raised towards her, Kara shushed her students and made her way to Lena. It was then that Lena realized she should’ve dealt with the judgment; Jess would never give her a heart attack like this.

Suspenders. It was the only thought running through Lena’s mind as she stared, hand pushing the door open wider so she could lean against the threshold. And she only stared. Suspenders. And they meant absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, but it took away Lena’s ability to talk. Or think. Or function.

Then, Kara was too close, and she couldn't force herself to make a sound. She didn’t try to make a sound because she was pretty sure if she tried, it would’ve been a whine. (Sometimes, she really just loved the fact that Sam could not see the fool she made of herself on daily basis. She had someone to thank a lot later.)

Eyes focused on the slight flex of her exposed forearms, her sleeves rolled up until her elbows, she missed the first words Kara spoke. Looking up was not a better option. Lena really needed to put herself together.

“Everything okay?” And the concern only made it harder for Lena.

“Yeah, uh, it’s just, chalk?”

Lena could hear Sam’s laughter on the back of her mind.

“What about it?”

She heard it, then, it was unmistakable. A sound she’d been dealing with for years now. Lena had learned to deal with it, the giggling teenagers thought no one was able to hear, hushed words too low to be noticed. She had been doing this for too long.

With a look over Kara’s shoulder, she straightened her back, narrowed her eyes before glancing at the rows of students watching them. They didn’t even flinch, nor tried to hide their enjoyment because of the situation. She realized, then, they weren’t exactly looking at _them_ per say, most like, at something in their direction. It wasn’t a much pleasant realization.

Ruby, sitting in a middle row, a grimace on her face, got her attention. The teen only pointed up, Lena didn’t have to be told twice.

Taking a step closer to Kara, her attention shifted once more, her arms crossing in front of her chest, head turning up. This close, she could smell Kara’s perfume, the same one she used every day, the same one Lena grew to associate with good memories. This, however, wouldn’t be one.

Because, of course, above their heads, a mistletoe was stapled to the wall, a handful of inches above the door frame. A door frame she happened to be standing in. With Kara. Under a fucking mistletoe.

She should’ve gone to Jess.

“Oh.” Her eyes went back to Kara on their own accord, trying to trace every single bit of emotion fluttering at the lines of her face. She got nothing. For the first time since they met, Kara had a blank expression. “That explains a lot.”

Blue eyes found hers then, a grin spreading through her lips, her own tingling to match it. She found out it wasn’t any easier to think or breath having Kara this close, having Kara apparently so happy to be in this situation. Her mouth didn’t catch up with her brain.

“We wouldn’t want to break tradition, right?” It was the only warning Lena gave.

In an act of pure boldness (later, Lena would call the same action stupidity and recklessness), she curled her fingers around the extra fabric around Kara’s waist, slightly grazing over the covered skin, and leaned up.

Lips barely brushed against a warm cheek when she heard the sigh, it was soft and almost inaudible, but she was convinced it was there. It made her heart beat faster, her fingers curl tighter, her body lean in further. Lips pressing more insistently, she felt Kara’s hand resting against the small of her back, the warmth that should’ve been concentrated on that spot slowly spreading through her body.

A step back, loss of a more intimate contact, eyes too shy to find blue, focusing on the wrinkles left on Kara’s side from where she was grasping for dear life. Kara didn’t let go. The realization made her body even warmer, her breathing started to get irregular, and she needed space. She needed to be anywhere but here, too close to show too much.

“I should go, I have a class soon.”

She managed to look up to find red cheeks (much like her own, she bet), wide eyes behind black-framed glasses, and the perfect contour of the shape of her lips in red lipstick standing against tan skin, in display for everyone to see.

Lena turned around and walked, a foot in front of the other, going faster than anyone had ever seen her in school grounds.

(She wanted to leave that mark not only on her cheek.)

**

She forgot the chalk.

**

In all honesty, Kara couldn’t remember the last time she was this nervous.

When she put some thought into it, maybe it had happened a few years back, when she and Alex sat down to have a conversation. Not _a_. _The_. And that was probably right. After that, it didn’t matter what Kara had to do, or how bad things got, Kara was calmer.

Not this time around. This time she was so nervous she’s been pacing on the same ten steps for the past twelve minutes, she was so nervous her tongue felt heavy in her mouth and she felt like the words would never make their way out of her throat, she was so nervous her hands were sweating in the end of December.

She was nervous, because this time she was about to do something that terrified her. The softness on her hands didn’t help.

The sound made her stop. It was the same sound she grew accustomed to over the months, it was the same sound she could distinguish even as laughter filled the hallways in the mornings. It was the sound that made her head snap in search of the source.

Kara was never disappointed. This afternoon as well.

And Lena stood with a soft smile playing on her lips, something she never played any mind to until Alex pointed it out, leaning against the door frame of her room. Lena’s smiles were never towards anyone else. They seemed to have a name written on them. (It was Kara’s.)

Her body went completely still, brain momentarily forgetting the reason for all the fidgeting in the first place. When theirs eyes met, Kara relaxed. Seemed like something Lena was able to do without even trying.

There would be certain moments where shifts would happen, shifts that brought a change in the air between them. Lena did that with such ease it took the heaviness from it. It usually gave the world to Kara.

Now, Kara exhaled. Because maybe this was what she needed all along, Lena’s smile, Lena’s gaze, and the feeling that this went much further than herself.

“Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to ask me what you need?”

 _Stare, definitely stare_.

“Kara?”

“Sorry.”

She chuckled, took a step closer to Lena, free hand coming to rub at the back of her neck, and smiled.

The calmness that washed through her minutes earlier disappeared with the simple touch of Lena’s hand around her wrist. And Kara could only stare as her thumb completed circles around its inside, at how Lena seemed to understand her with no words needed.

(How Lena sought for contact wasn’t missed on Kara. The woman who preserved her personal space above anything, who liked the quietness that came with being away, reaching out of her comfort zone to offer comfort. Kara fell a little harder.)

The calmness was over because it was on that moment that Kara realized how easy it was to actually be in love with Lena Luthor. Her heart raced. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Kara had waited enough for this. Maybe more than enough.

“Hey.” Her voice was soft, softer than her touch, and it did nothing to slow Kara’s heartbeat. “You know you can ask me anything, so there’s no need to be this nervous.”

There _was_ a reason to be nervous, Lena didn’t need to know about it yet.

“My sister and I are planning a Christmas dinner at my place on Monday, it’s only for a handful of friends and family, and I was wondering if you already have plans? Sam and Ruby are invited as well, of course. But it’s totally okay if you can’t go. I know it’s short noticed.”

Lena didn’t answer, not at first. Her eyes kept their long gaze on Kara’s, touch still soothing Kara’s nerves. Then, she smiled. Not the soft smile she always received when they saw each other for the first time on the day, but the realer one. The one that made Kara’s knees weak and filled her with the urge to kiss her.

Lena Luthor was made to be kissed. To not kiss Lena Luthor when she smiled was a sin by itself.

“I thought you were Jewish.”

She laughed, head leaning down to rest quickly against Lena’s shoulder. The glint on Lena’s eyes only proved what Kara already suspected, she had her answer without any words.

“Alex isn’t.”

“I promised you next time I would say yes, so, should I bring wine?”

“Alex will appreciate.”

A moment. “If that’s all...”

“Yes.”

Lena squeezed her wrist before letting her go.

Regret rose from the pit of her stomach even before the contact cease to exist, the memory of the lingering kiss to her cheek enough to make her skin crawl and burn. Kara hated the taste of it. Maybe it was what made her blurt out ‘actually’ and raise her closed hand above their heads.

Green eyes followed and, only when Kara was sure she had her complete attention, she opened her hand slowly.

There weren’t words to describe Lena’s smile at that moment. Holy. Earth shattering. Ethereal.

A Goddess among men, indeed.

“We wouldn’t want to break tradition, right?”

And Lena looked at her again, really looked at her. Kara was already in too deep to turn back now. She had never wanted to.

So, when Lena’s hand tugged at the back of her neck, Kara went willingly. She would’ve liked to say their first kiss was perfect, that it brought butterflies to her belly, that it felt like her world shifted into place.

None of that happened.

It was a simple kiss, a press of lips and nothing more, barely that even, as they couldn’t stop smiling. It was a kiss that, very much like everything Lena did, brought only a wave of peace.

Mistletoe forgotten and dropped to the floor, Kara curled her fingers against soft waist, pulled Lena closer. Lips pressed together, long fingers grazing at the base of her neck, keeping her from moving too far, and she sighed. She could really get used to this.

Ethereal could come close to Lena right now.

Kara’s thumb brushed against her lower lip, smudged lipstick being fixed as much as she could. (For now.)

“You don’t have to steal chalk the next time you want me to kiss you.” And punctuated her statement with a light kiss to Kara’s neck.

Kara laughed. She also pushed Lena inside her classroom and locked the door for good measure.

(If Lena completely lost her lipstick, no one would ever find it in Kara’s skin.)

**

Kara woke to the feeling of fingers gently grazing the skin of her naked back, covering a path much alike as the one they traced the night before, except that this time it was gentler, way less rushed and needy.

The softness around her was unfamiliar, the mattress too different from her own was all she needed to open her eyes. One look around pulled from the slumber she was in, every memory from the day before coming back at once, as her surroundings became clearer. The thought made her smile, the reminder of the night before being enough to make a warmth run through her body until it settled on her chest. It was becoming a very common experience when it came to Lena.

A palm pressed firmly against her stomach, mouth hotly against her shoulder blade. When teeth joined in the lightest of nips, she turned around in bed, buried her nose on Lena’s neck, arms encircling her waist, pulling her forward, extinguishing the space between them, a joyful laugh coming from Lena.

And Lena, god, Lena was everywhere. It was her scent, her touch, her laugh, her voice, her presence. It was all just Lena. Kara wouldn’t have it any other way.

Some other day she would stop and consider the fluttering on her chest and all the implications that came with it. Just, not right now, not when she had Lena all to herself, not when she _had_ Lena in a way she never even allowed herself to think about.

(When she had Lena because the woman had chosen to give herself. When Lena chose her, Kara Danvers, to be vulnerable with.

Kara promised herself she would go carefully, to never hurt Lena in any way.)

Fingers ran through her hair, barely scraping her scalp, a low hum of appreciation left her throat before she could fully comprehend what was happening.

“How do you like your pancakes? Or would you prefer a Christmas themed breakfast?”

She laid a simple kiss on a prominent collarbone, took the opportunity to run her nose through all the skin she could find until their cheeks brushed and Kara could no longer deny herself from looking at green eyes.

Green eyes that once stared at her so widely, so afraid. Then it became apologetic, fragile, longing, unreadable. And now, now they showed nothing but affection, caring, fondness.

(Love?

Love.

 _Love_.)

Kara pressed their mouths together.

“I wasn’t planning on letting you leave the bed anytime today, Miss Luthor.” Was whispered against tightly shut lips.

“Do tell.”

The smile was radiant, a smile Kara never thought she would be the cause of, a smile Kara was very grateful she was the reason. Lena’s palm rested against her sternum, thumb just shy of actually touching her breast, but it was already enough to make Kara sigh deeply. To ache for more.

“In fact,” she gave a playful nip on Lena’s earlobe, but the small gasp it provoked was entirely too alike the ones that haunted her dreams, the ones that were proven right the night before “I was planning on spending the day with Morgana. She’s really cute. Or, you know, discovering how many times I can make you come in one day.”

(There was a time in which Kara was sure Lena couldn’t be any more beautiful than for the moments where she showed strength. When she was dressed to demand attention and respect, when her voice carried through the room without effort. When Lena showed herself to be the strongest among them.

But all she needed was a look at this Lena, soft smile, disheveled hair, dimples showing, partially covered by the sheets, and no one ever stood a chance.

Lena Luthor, all facades, was beautiful. It didn’t mean she could be weak, weaker, for one of them. And, no doubt, she had found her biggest weakness.)

“Sounds like a good plan.”

Kara kissed her again.

**

After Holiday break, there were three things every student from National City High could agree on.

First: their teams were heading once again to excel in the State Championship, courtesy of the one and only Alex Danvers.

Second: the _no student shall step into the cafeteria after the weekend_ rule was still on and maybe they should avoid chicken on Wednesdays. Just for precaution.

Third: passing on Miss Luthor’s class was probably the hardest thing they would have to do through the entire year, but they would manage. And she was stern, and no smiles, and rigorous, a tough exterior to hide the interior softness.

Unless, of course, Kara Danvers was around.

**Author's Note:**

> As Tumblr is a mess right now, I'm straying away from it, but you can still find me there in : @BroodyJC
> 
> For anything else, you can find me on Twitter, also on @BroodyJC, cause, you know, I rant a lot there
> 
> If you'll excuse me, I'm fifty minutes earlier on my deadline so I'll go get drunk to deal with my relatives tomorrow


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